Almunia keen on England

Gunner has not ruled out representing England

By James Dall   Last updated: 7th December 2007

Almunia keen on England

Almunia: Eyeining England role

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Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has admitted that he has not ruled out representing England.

The Spaniard has become Arsene Wenger's first-choice stopper this season after some impressive displays; which have seen Jens Lehmann drop to the bench.

Almunia, who has made 19 starts so far this campaign, has yet to be capped by Spain, meaning that he could qualify to play for England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland if he were granted dual nationality.

Fifa regulations state that if a player has never played for a national team, he may assume another nationality and play for the national team of a new country.

Almunia would meet the condition which states that 'he has lived continuously for at least two years on the territory of the relevant Association'.

England's No.1 jersey is currently up for grabs following Paul Robinson's unconvincing form, and Scott Carson's shaky competitive debut.

And 30-year-old Almunia has explained that he is keen to repay the faith he has received from supporters in England.

"I would never close the door on people who have shown me so much affection," he told El Mundo.

"If I can lend England a hand once the time comes for me to be eligible - and I want to thank the country for the support it has shown me - I don't see why I shouldn't play for them. I don't rule it out."

Van Persie update

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been boosted by the news that Robin van Persie will return to training next week.

The Dutch international has been out with a long-term knee injury, but is finally closing in on a comeback after almost eight weeks on the sidelines.

"Van Persie and [Abou] Diaby are not far. From next week they will be back in normal training," Wenger told the club's official website.

"We have to see how he [Van Persie] responds to contact training. Don't forget he has been out for seven or eight weeks and has had no contact until now so we might have to be a little bit patient."

Trio sidelined

Wenger also confirmed that neither Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb nor Mathieu Flamini will return from injury for Sunday's clash against Middlesbrough.

"We have no-one coming back for Sunday and to put a date on that is very difficult. If you ask me who will be the first to come back then I think it could be Mathieu Flamini," Wenger added.

"Cesc and Alexander Hleb are on the same line but whether they come back next week or in two weeks I don't know."